[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 205 (Tuesday, October 25, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 61613-61614]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-21291]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Southwestern Power Administration


Notice of Proposed Tariff Change

AGENCY: Southwestern Power Administration, DOE.

ACTION: Notice of informal meeting and comment opportunity.

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SUMMARY: The Southwestern Power Administration (Southwestern) is 
revising its Open Access Transmission Service Tariff (Tariff). 
Southwestern's existing Tariff was approved by the Federal Energy 
Regulatory Commission (Commission) on May 13, 1998. Southwestern 
intends to update certain Tariff provisions from its original Tariff 
filing to reflect the agreement executed between Southwestern and the 
Southwest Power Pool Regional Transmission Organization (SPP RTO), and 
to further clarify the limitation Southwestern has in the use of 
generation from facilities owned and operated by the U.S. Army Corps of 
Engineers. Publication of this Federal Register notice announces a 
public meeting and an opportunity for informal comment on 
Southwestern's revised Tariff prior to filing with the Commission.

DATES: The consultation and comment period will begin on the date of 
publication of this Federal Register notice and will end December 9, 
2005. Southwestern will hold an informal public meeting to discuss the 
proposed Tariff revisions on November 30, 2005. Beginning at 10 a.m., 
Southwestern will accept oral and written comments at this meeting and 
will also accept written comments any time during the informal comment 
period. Persons interested in attending this meeting should indicate in 
writing their intent to do so by submitting a letter or e-mail to the 
address below by November 25, 2005. If Southwestern receives no 
notifications of intent to attend this meeting, the meeting will be 
cancelled.

ADDRESSES: The public meeting will be held in Southwestern's offices, 
Room 1460, Williams Center Tower I, One West Third Street, Tulsa, 
Oklahoma 74103. All written comments should be submitted to Mr. Forrest 
E. Reeves, Assistant Administrator, Office of Corporate Operations, 
Southwestern Power Administration, U.S. Department of Energy, One West 
Third Street, Tulsa, Oklahoma 74103, or by e-mail to 
[email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Forrest E. Reeves, Assistant 
Administrator, Office of Corporate Operations, Southwestern Power 
Administration, U.S. Department of Energy, One West Third Street, 
Tulsa, Oklahoma 74103, (918) 595-6696, [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Originally established by Secretarial Order 
No. 1865 dated August 31, 1943, Southwestern is an agency within the 
U.S. Department of Energy which was created by an Act of the U.S. 
Congress, entitled the Department of Energy Organization Act, Public 
Law No. 95-91, dated August 4, 1977. Southwestern is not a public 
utility under sections 205 and 206 of the Federal Power Act and is not 
specifically subject to the requirements of the Federal Energy 
Regulatory Commission Order Nos. 888, et al. Southwestern is a 
transmitting utility subject to sections 205 and 211 of the Federal 
Power Act, as amended by the Energy Policy Acts of 1992 and 2005. 
Southwestern markets power from 24 multi-purpose reservoir projects 
with hydroelectric power facilities constructed and operated by the 
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. These projects are located in the States 
of Arkansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Texas.

[[Page 61614]]

Southwestern's marketing area includes these States plus Kansas and 
Louisiana. Southwestern markets Federal power and energy, and owns and 
operates a transmission system to integrate its hydroelectric resources 
in order to reliably deliver such power and energy. Southwestern 
provides transmission services for the transmission of non-Federal 
power and energy across Southwestern's transmission system only to the 
extent that capacity is available over and above that required to 
fulfill Southwestern's mission and obligations under section 5 of the 
Flood Control Act of 1944. Nothing in the proposed tariff is intended 
to alter, amend, or abridge Southwestern's statutory obligation to 
market Federal power and to repay the Federal investment in the 
hydroelectric generation projects from which it markets power as well 
as the investment in its associated transmission system.
    On March 31, 2005, Southwestern and the SPP RTO entered into an 
agreement, which became effective April 1, 2005, and which provides for 
the SPP RTO to administer Southwestern's Tariff, provide regional 
reliability council services, scheduling services, operating reserve 
sharing, Open Access Same Time Information System (``OASIS'') 
administration, and reliability coordination. The agreement, accepted 
for filing by the Commission as SPP RTO tariff Attachment AD, also 
facilitates the reciprocal use of Southwestern's and the SPP RTO's 
transmission facilities and provides for Southwestern's participation 
in regional transmission expansion. To provide consistency with the 
regional practices of the SPP RTO, Southwestern has made changes to its 
Tariff scheduling, transmission service application, available 
transmission capability, and facilities studies timing requirements. 
Changes have also been made to the provisions of Southwestern's Tariff 
concerning generation redispatch that clarify Southwestern's 
limitations in the use of its generation resources to provide 
redispatch under Southwestern's Tariff. The water used to supply the 
energy from Southwestern's hydroelectric generation resources is 
limited, and the use of such water and generation resources from 
Federal hydroelectric projects within congressionally authorized 
purposes is dictated by Federal statute. These limitations are 
consistent with the agreement between Southwestern and the SPP RTO.
    Following review of the oral and written comments and the 
information gathered in the course of the proceedings, the 
Administrator will submit the finalized Tariff to the Commission and 
request a declaratory order that the Tariff meets Commission 
requirements as set forth in Commission Order No. 888, et al., to the 
extent consistent with applicable law. The revised Tariff is posted on 
Southwestern's Web site at http://www.swpa.gov. Southwestern must 
receive written comments by the end of the informal comment period to 
ensure they are considered in Southwestern's filing with the 
Commission.

    Dated: October 14, 2005.
Michael A. Deihl,
Administrator.
[FR Doc. 05-21291 Filed 10-24-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P